Status Graphite Fretless Necks

[Linus27]

Just wondering if anyone has an experience or owns one of the Status grapite fretless necks for a Stingray. I did a search and found no threads discussing them to my surprise. I am considering getting one for my current Stingray and would be interested to hear anyones thoughts and experience. Would holding out for a proper fretless Stingray be a better option or are the Status graphite necks even better than a wooden fretless neck?

[pierreganseman]

Well, they are not the same beast.

No doubt every thing produced by status is amazingly made etc

I am gonna guess you could probably have a 'ray neck by musicman for a bit cheaper..

the main thing , they will not sound even close, sound of graphite vs sound of wood.....

just my 2cent

[Linus27]

[quote name='pierreganseman' timestamp='1383902027' post='2270486']
Well, they are not the same beast.

No doubt every thing produced by status is amazingly made etc

I am gonna guess you could probably have a 'ray neck by musicman for a bit cheaper..

the main thing , they will not sound even close, sound of graphite vs sound of wood.....

just my 2cent
[/quote]

Thanks for the reply. The problem is, finding a genuine fretless Stingray neck is near on impossible. The two options are to get Shuker to make one or get a Status one.

That's surprising that you say there is such a big difference in tone between a graphite neck and a wooden neck. I wouldn't had thought it would be that big with the feel and perhaps the sustain being the biggest difference.

Cheers.

[pierreganseman]

To my ears at least...

I have have had both, had some status fretless, some musicman fretless.

Graphite neck are a bit of a pain, cuz you can hear every single thing on them. If the intonation is even slightly off , you'll hear it straight away (for example less face it, on a jazz fretless unless BADLY out, no one will notice or even care).

In my experience too, the problem of graphite neck, is what ever you do it'll sound like a bass with a graphite neck, no way to hide it and make sound "traditionnal". 90% of people out there are looking for something standard when hiring or calling a bassist. And graphite sounding basses are not std in any way...

I guess you can expect a stingray with more sustain, and more cutting through etc.... i know it may sound weird but i will almost guarantee that if doing recordings and listening to one and the other. You'd notice tremendous difference.

[Happy Jack]

Not looking to start a fight about this, but my experience of graphite necks is that they sound like ... erm ... bass necks. I have Fender Precisions hanging next to a Status Artist GP and when you play them back to back there's no obvious change in tone.

Not to my tired old ears anyway.

The attractions are that they have a noticeably more punchy sound (especially on a Precision) and they never, ever move so you don't need to adjust your set-up as the seasons change.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1383907204' post='2270575']
Not looking to start a fight about this, but my experience of graphite necks is that they sound like ... erm ... bass necks. I have Fender Precisions hanging next to a Status Artist GP and when you play them back to back there's no obvious change in tone.

Not to my tired old ears anyway.

The attractions are that they have a noticeably more punchy sound (especially on a Precision) and they never, ever move so you don't need to adjust your set-up as the seasons change.
[/quote]
Also without wishing to start a fight - you have contradicted yourself here. No have stated that you cannot here any obvious change in tone...but then assert that it provides a noticeably punchier sound!

The extra punch is a change in the tone!

IME with graphite necks they sound quite different from wood necks. It always surprises me when players on this forum assert that the material that a bass is made from does not influence the sound. That is illogical...but that's just my tuppence worth.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1383907607' post='2270585']
Also without wishing to start a fight - you have contradicted yourself here.

[/quote]

[size=4][color=#000000][font=sans-serif]Psychotics are consistently inconsistent. The essence of sanity is to be inconsistently inconsistent.[/font][/color][/size]

[Prime_BASS]

I have a fretted graphite replacement on my jazz and I would say overall they sound relatively the same.
Although the graphite has no dead spots and the string to string out put is very even. That alone sells it for me, along with it being super rigid, setup when I put strings on and it's stayed the same since.
Overall I don't think I'd go back to wood necks unless I could play it first thoroughly.

Negatives, a bit more fret noise that highlights my piss poor technic but you are after a fretless.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1383909073' post='2270614']
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif]Psychotics are consistently inconsistent. The essence of sanity is to be inconsistently inconsistent.[/font][/color]
[/quote]
Very true! Your display of sanity is reassuring in this instance

[Linus27]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sadly, I am no wiser as there seems a mix between sounding different and not sounding any different I do have a tendancy to create a fair bit of fret noise when playing but this is only on a fretted bass so I might be ok

[ambient]

I know a lot has to do with electronics, but listen to Michael Manring and Steve Lawson, then listen to Pino or whoever, you can hear a difference in the sound,

I don't have a carbon fibre/graphite necked fretless but I do have a fretted, and it does have a sound of its own.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1383911637' post='2270673']
I know a lot has to do with electronics, but listen to Michael Manring and Steve Lawson, then listen to Pino or whoever, you can hear a difference in the sound,

I don't have a carbon fibre/graphite necked fretless but I do have a fretted, and it does have a sound of its own.
[/quote]
I agree. I played carbon fibre necks throughout the 80's and they do sound distinctly different from wooden ones.

Regarding the OP's original question...it is hard to define whether they are "better" or not as it is entirely subjective. The advantages are a stable, stiff neck that wont move...but adding one will change the sound of the instrument.

[martthebass]

Regarding the whole graphite neck thing, I think there is a difference depending on whether we're talking fretted or fretless.

On the fretless I agree with comments above that it is very intonation sensitive and in my personal experience (on a Jazz swapout for a Status F'less neck) I could hear every click/grind - for my taste the sound was too harsh but it may suit some.

On fretted - well my Streamline sounds like a bass, I wouldn't know it was graphite other than by looking at it or toching it - I guess it's because the strings contact the frets not the resin board. The main difference for me is the complete lack of deadspots and that it never needs the rod tweaking.

[Linus27]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think, the fact I don't want to lose that woody earthy fretless tone, I will skip getting a fretless graphite neck for my Stingray. Cheers for everyones input.

[Prime_BASS]

The technical aspect is for me the one reason to get a status graphite neck.

A custom wood jobbie would be cheaper but you'd have to weight till it's finished obviously.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383915415' post='2270727']
Thank you everyone for the replies. I think, the fact I don't want to lose that woody earthy fretless tone, I will skip getting a fretless graphite neck for my Stingray. Cheers for everyones input.
[/quote]

Without wishing to change your mind on opting for a wooden neck , my two pence worth would be that , yes, a graphite neck sounds different, not least of all because of the hard and extremely reflective graphite fingerboard, but whereas that can sound slightly harsh and hypercritical in terms of technique when you are playing on your own , that perceived harshness all but dissappears when you are playing in a band context , and instead translates into some welcome extra cut in the mix. Fretless basses sound much more muted than fretted ones where a big part of the tone comes from a steel string being in contact with a steel fret. Once you remove the steel fret the tone and envelope of the same note is very, very different . The extended upper frequencies that a graphite neck can provide can to some extent be seen as a positive substitute for the change of tone made by removing the frets.

It's a similar trade-off on fretless basses that have an epoxy coating on the fingerboard. You lose some woody warmth , but gain a lot of sustain , clarity and top end . It also has to be said ,that woody warmth can very easily become an over-softness on a fretless bass , hence why so many fretless players boost their midrange frequencies to make themselves more clearly heard . As with fretted basses , I would recommend players who buy a graphite necked bass embrace the tone for what it is rather than try and compare it to a bass with a conventional wooden neck . Graphite is a terriffic sound in its' own right , and a great option if you want your bass to be clearly audible .

Edited November 8, 2013 by Dingus

[ambient]

Don't forget that Jaco's tone came from a Jazz bass with I don't know how many coats of epoxy resin on the fretboard.

[Dingus]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1383921390' post='2270848']
Don't forget that Jaco's tone came from a Jazz bass with I don't know how many coats of epoxy resin on the fretboard.
[/quote]

...and heavily favouring the rear pickup to bump the low mids .

[Linus27]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1383921027' post='2270845']
Without wishing to change your mind on opting for a wooden neck , my two pence worth would be that , yes, a graphite neck sounds different, not least of all because of the hard and extremely reflective graphite fingerboard, but whereas that can sound slightly harsh and hypercritical in terms of technique when you are playing on your own , that perceived harshness all but dissappears when you are playing in a band context , and instead translates into some welcome extra cut in the mix. Fretless basses sound much more muted than fretted ones where a big part of the tone comes from a steel string being in contact with a steel fret. Once you remove the steel fret the tone and envelope of the same note is very, very different . The extended upper frequencies that a graphite neck can provide can to some extent be seen as a positive substitute for the change of tone made by removing the frets.

It's a similar trade-off on fretless basses that have an epoxy coating on the fingerboard. You lose some woody warmth , but gain a lot of sustain , clarity and top end . It also has to be said ,that woody warmth can very easily become an over-softness on a fretless bass , hence why so many fretless players boost their midrange frequencies to make themselves more clearly heard . As with fretted basses , I would recommend players who buy a graphite necked bass embrace the tone for what it is rather than try and compare it to a bass with a conventional wooden neck . Graphite is a terriffic sound in its' own right , and a great option if you want your bass to be clearly audible .
[/quote]

Thank you, that has put a nice spin on it. Considering I have a Warwick Streamer Jazzman Fretless and an ESP Jazz fretless, maybe a graphite would be a nice addition as well as an alterative.

By the way, I would had replied quicker but I could not stop stairing at your avatar

[White Cloud]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1383921027' post='2270845']
Without wishing to change your mind on opting for a wooden neck , my two pence worth would be that , yes, a graphite neck sounds different, not least of all because of the hard and extremely reflective graphite fingerboard, but whereas that can sound slightly harsh and hypercritical in terms of technique when you are playing on your own , that perceived harshness all but dissappears when you are playing in a band context , and instead translates into some welcome extra cut in the mix. Fretless basses sound much more muted than fretted ones where a big part of the tone comes from a steel string being in contact with a steel fret. Once you remove the steel fret the tone and envelope of the same note is very, very different . The extended upper frequencies that a graphite neck can provide can to some extent be seen as a positive substitute for the change of tone made by removing the frets.

It's a similar trade-off on fretless basses that have an epoxy coating on the fingerboard. You lose some woody warmth , but gain a lot of sustain , clarity and top end . It also has to be said ,that woody warmth can very easily become an over-softness on a fretless bass , hence why so many fretless players boost their midrange frequencies to make themselves more clearly heard . As with fretted basses , I would recommend players who buy a graphite necked bass embrace the tone for what it is rather than try and compare it to a bass with a conventional wooden neck . Graphite is a terriffic sound in its' own right , and a great option if you want your bass to be clearly audible .
[/quote]
I would say that this is sound advice.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383922120' post='2270866']

By the way, I would had replied quicker but I could not stop stairing at your avatar
[/quote]

She torments me.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1383922120' post='2270866']
Thank you, that has put a nice spin on it. Considering I have a Warwick Streamer Jazzman Fretless and an ESP Jazz fretless, maybe a graphite would be a nice addition as well as an alterative.

[/quote]

It's also worth considering that if you buy a Status MM fretless neck and don't get on with it, you would easily be able to sell it on for a very good price to another MM owner who wants to go the fretless route and fancies graphite . Status have an official association with and endorsement from EBMM in so much as they were chosen to make the graphite necks for the NAMM 100th anniversary Stingray basses. A custom -made neck might not be so easy to shift, by comparison .

[lapolpora]

I have fretted and fretless Status necks on two of my Stingrays. I love 'em. They don't sound bright or clinical. They just sound good. The tone is still in the fingers as far as I'm concerned. If anything the tone of my fretted Status Ray is a little more well mannered than my '83 maple necked Ray.

I have a 62 RI CIJ fretless Jazz that I'm thinking of moving on as to me the fretless Status Ray wins every time. And I'm not a fan of the full blown status sound at all.

I'm based in Crystal Palace, South London. OP is welcome to drop in and check them out for himself if necessary.

[bh2]

I tried one and it sounded great!

Dunno if it would sound any different to a wood one though.

They look super cool and are well fabricated.

Thought very hard about getting one for my 78 and doing the neck swappy thing, then everything went black and I woke up in the sink!

[EMG456]

Been playing all graphite basses for close on 30 years now. Are they different? Yes, but then two supposedly identical basses are always different too. Are they better? Well, in terms of robustness, stability of set up and tuning, clarity of reproduction- yes, undoubtably. In terms of sound, no- just different- you may prefer it or you may not.

I like them but I still also play basses just made of wood. You should give it a try- you will probably like it.

What I do know is that my graphite necked basses are solid, dependable,reliable and sound great and if I'm in any doubt as to any other aspects of a gig or session, one of them will be there to make sure I get through it with my head held high!

Cheers

Ed